Route 66 - tell me all!

[FredStembottom]

I have just turned 50 years old and find myself having an urge to do something VERY 50-ish: one of those trace-old-Route-66 car trips from Chicago to L.A.

Not a very original thing to do nowadays - but my brother and I had the idea waaaay back in the 70's and I still want to.

Have any of y'all ever done it? I guess there are readily available maps these days.

P.S. - I love car trips ennaways - so how wrong can I go?:eyes:

[enigmatic]

1. There's not much left

Except in Arizona and in New Mexico; I road my mountain bike on 66 between Kingman and Flagstaff about 10 years ago and it was unforgetable, and I'd go back and do it again in a heartbeat if I hadn't moved up here.

[FredStembottom]

3. As I understand it......

.... or mis-understand it(?), there are lots more chunks but all under different names now.

:shrug:

[enigmatic]

6. Pretty much

Some was swallowed by the Interstate; other parts are scattered around in a few short stretches here and there. If I could start a road trip, I'd start in Amarillo and go west, most of the big stretches are between there and Kingman..

[FredStembottom]

18. I'm in Minneapolis and also "need" a trip to Chicago.......

...... so I dream of doing the whole thing.:smoke:

[enigmatic]

23. Go for it, bro

Everybody needs to drive at least a part of 66 in their lives; if you need any music choices, listen to my overnight show sometime!:)

[Ptah]

2. .

http://www.lyrics.com/c/cole,_nat.king/greatest.hits.jpg


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCYApJtsyd0

[FredStembottom]

8. That's the idea!

Old maps and Nat!

Just need a '57 DeSoto to go with it!

[Ptah]

17. It's like, what do you want it to be?

[FredStembottom]

19. Is that a pic from along the route?

n/t

[Kali]

4. Not much left - a few stops here in AZ but it's pretty much gone.

[Oeditpus Rex]

5. Checked out this?

http://www.historic66.com/

[FredStembottom]

9. That looks good!

Thanks. Saved.

:hi:

[Oeditpus Rex]

13. No prob

It's been a back-brain fantasy of mine, too — ever since Tod and Buzz, and later Bronson.

[FredStembottom]

20. As in "Then came....."

LOVED that show!:bounce:

[Oeditpus Rex]

31. So did I

I went out and got me a blue watchcap like Bronson's and wore it with sunglasses whenever I rode my Sting-Ray. :7

[guitar man]

7. If you do

...when you come through Tulsa, stop and say howdy :hi:

If my band is gigging, stop in and we'll do our rendition of "route 66" for ya :)

[FredStembottom]

12. Tulsa is where "my people" come from!

Well...... actually Weleetka, OK - but they have all been in Tulsa for a looooong time.
I was born and raised in Minnesota - but when Bob Wills comes on.... something happens..... I go to heaven. I really do!O8)

[lizziegrace]

36. My sister's in Tulsa

I'll be going down in early May for my nephew's graduation.

I love driving through the area and seeing the Route 66 signs.

:hi:

[S n o w b a l l]

10. I took a detour off the main highway....

On my travels back and forth to LA just to see it. I got the tee shirt "standing on the corner in Winslow AZ". There really wasn't much to see ... a lot of deserted buildings and lonely streets. It depressed me so I didn't stay on the route long.

[FredStembottom]

14. Fortunately, I kinda like that sort of thing.

:o

[S n o w b a l l]

21. That's good....

Sounds like you'd have a great time! I was alone so I was just bored the whole time.

Don't see the movie The Hills Have Eyes before you go. ;)

[FredStembottom]

28. Oh yeah, stuff like that would be creepy all alone

I hope to have fellow loonies with me.

[XemaSab]

11. That could be a really fun road trip!

Most of it has fallen into semi-disrepair, so you will be in the desert without a lot of traffic for long stretches.

Take a camera and LOTS of water! :bounce:

[FredStembottom]

15. My wife doesn't like car trips at. all.

So I may take 2 good buddies (though they don't know it, yet), water, a camera, cigars, dozens of hours of music and junk food!

(I'm excited already!)

[XemaSab]

16. SUWEET!!!!!

:bounce:

[The_Casual_Observer]

22. The towns in Arizona are still about the same. Stay at the Wigwam

Hotel in Holbrook if you can, it's as 66 as it gets.

[enigmatic]

24. I've been there!

Awesome place:thumbsup:

[Kali]

25. some good places in Gallup too.

[FredStembottom]

26. Sure has the right name!

Just looked it up. That's hilarious - and a must-see!

Thanks!

[FredStembottom]

27. Well, it's 12:30 on a "school night"

Thanks for toying with my idea, y'all.

But gotta go to bed now.

G'night:boring:

[allalone]

29. from Chicago to LA

1952 (I was 12) I've been jonesing ever since to drive the mother road. A lot of the roadside attractions are still if the book I got for Christmas is true. Do you live in Chicago?
Just for you I'll say something in Chicagoan----I wanna go with!

[FredStembottom]

37. I'm in Minnesota but......

We "go with" here, too!

[deadparrot]

30. Don't forget to stop at Ted Drewes if you go through St. Louis!

http://www.teddrewes.com/Drewes.asp

:hi:

[Kickin_Donkey]

32. There's a stretch in Albuquerque ...

that is lined with a bunch of old motels still retaining '50s architecture. That would be a nostalgic place to stay the night. Going westward, it's before you hit downtown.

[ScreamingMeemie]

33. There is, actually, quite a bit of it left. Just not marked. Here is a book

that might help you plan. I love this book:

http://www.roadtripusa.com/

[AllegroRondo]

34. I used to live on a stretch of it in Missouri

much of the Missouri route was chopped up and renamed when Interstate 44 was made, but the remaining parts parallel that highway from St Louis all the way to Oklahoma.

When you drive through Waynesville, check out the Frog. The road in that area is actually named "Historic Route 66".

[Joe Fields]

35. PM me, I'll tell you all about it. I'm a Route 66 expert.

[MikeH]

38. Our family traveled most of Route 66 when we moved from the midwest to San Diego, CA

That was in June 1970, when I was in college. I moved with my parents and brothers and sisters from Michigan (my family had been living in Michigan at the time; I had been going to college in Illinois) to San Diego, California (and transferred to San Diego State University).

After making an obligatory visit to relatives in central Illinois, from there we followed pretty much the entire Route 66 to San Bernardino, California, and from there drove down to San Diego. (Some of it was still U.S. 66 at the time; some was already one of the interstates.)

We stayed overnight in Joplin MO, Clinton OK, Tucumcari NM, Albuquerque NM, Flagstaff AZ, Needles CA, and finally to San Diego.

My father made us get up early in the morning so we could avoid the midday and afternoon heat when we were in the car.

Prior to that trip I had never been west of the Mississippi River.

I remember we stopped at the Painted Desert, the Petrified National Forest, and the Grand Canyon in Arizona. I remember they were very impressive. I have been to the Grand Canyon only one time since.

It was hot most of our trip, but cool when we finally arrived in San Diego. I would later learn about June gloom in San Diego.